Pamela Anderson

The quintessential "Baywatch Babe" made the shift from the small to the big screen with limited success, in a series of underpowered celebrity vehicles.

Instead, she is destined to be remembered for her pneumatic, surgically-enhanced chest, volatile on-off relationship with rocker Tommy Lee, and headline-grabbing antics.

Feature-length outings, so to speak, include the wannabe thriller 'Snapdragon', the vacuous action caper 'Raw Justice' and 'Naked Justice'. Movies unlikely to trouble the sleep of the likes of Dame Judi Dench, the publicity tagline for the latter promised: "She's about to bear her soul...and all that goes with it."

It was while she attended a British Columbia Lions football game that she was "discovered" in a most unusual way. Dressed in a Labatt's Beer T-shirt, her image was transmitted on the stadium's wide screen to the crowd's appreciation and a contract to sell the beer quickly followed.

It wasn't long before Playboy magazine expressed an interest and there followed the first of 12 covers featuring Pamela Anderson naked. TV then picked up on the blonde (actually, she's a brunette) and she joined the cast of the series 'Home Improvement'. At the same time, she accepted the part that was to launch her into the celebrity stratosphere - buoyancy-aid packing lifeguard, CJ Parker, in 'Baywatch'.

Milking her newfound celebrity, she was also featured in a number of tacky spin-offs including videos such as 'Wet & Wild III', 'Sexy Lingerie II' and 'Wrestlemania IX'. However, off screen things weren't going quite so smoothly following her marriage to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee in 1995.

First of all a "honeymoon" video of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee engaged in sex on a yacht made its way onto the internet. Three years later Anderson was filing for divorce, after her husband was jailed for six months for assault (although the couple were briefly reunited when she tried to help him with his alcohol problem).

In 1999 she had her breast implants removed, ditched Lee for good and hooked up with Swedish model Marcus Schenkenberg, and latterly Kid Rock. In 1996, she had made her highest profile big screen appearance, in the disposable 'Barb Wire', which was a hit with hardcore fans, and also had an uncredited cameo in 2002's live action 'Scooby Doo'.

The same year she announced she had contracted hepatitis C after sharing a dirty needle with ex-husband Tommy Lee and was receiving treatment. She returned to the beach for 'Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding' and also played Becca in the horror spoof sequel, 'Scary Movie 3'.

2004 was a busy year for Anderson. She posed naked on the cover of Playboy magazine and became a naturalised citizen of the US. That same year, Anderson published the book 'Star', which she co-wrote with Eric Shaw Quinn. The book follows the trials and tribulations of a teenager trying to make it in the world of showbiz. She completed a tour to promote the book and went on to pen a sequel the following year.

In 2005, Anderson made a return to the small screen, starring in the sitcom 'Stacked'. However, the show was cancelled after just two seasons. The model and actress was honoured in 2006 when she received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. She went on to host Canada's Juno Awards later that year.

In 2008, Anderson dipped a toe in the pool of reality television, appearing on Australia's 'Big Brother' show and starring in her own series 'Pam: Girl on the Loose'. Anderson appeared in the US show 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2010, coming sixth overall in the contest. She also appeared on the 2013 UK series of 'Dancing On Ice'.